A rescue story

Recently we welcomed Poppy to our home. She's a brumby who was caught and removed from Kosciuszko National Park under the Rehome a Wild Horse program. We think she's about 2 or 3 years old, and she has the most gentle and inquisitive nature.

Our Instagram reel of her arrival went a bit viral, with thousands of views and likes, so we thought we'd share how she's going on her journey with us.

The Rehome a Wild Horse program is a government program that captures and removes horses from the national park and finds them homes that meet strict criteria, to make sure the horses have a bright future. There are both supporters and critics of removing brumbies from the park, but regardless of opinion, it was important to us to offer Poppy a new start and save her from an unhappy fate.

Poppy spent a few days in our round yard, separated from our other horses but able to nuzzle and meet them, including Flicka, who is also a Kosciuszko brumby. After a few days getting used to her surroundings, she was released into the mob and kept in our smaller front paddock with daily human interaction. She's now well and truly found her new horse family with Flicka, Woody, Bullseye and Bruno. They're happily out in our paddocks and regularly brought in so she keeps growing used to people.

What does the future hold?

Poppy is only young. Horses live 25 years or more, and she'll keep growing for the next 3 years. Over the coming months we'll keep up regular contact with her and move into physical touch and handling. She's still a bit nervous, so it's important to let her grow comfortable with us at her own pace. Establishing trust is a huge step in her progress.

Once she's comfortable being touched and groomed, we'll introduce her to a range of objects, from buckets to ropes, balls and plastic bags. These things are often scary for a horse because they don't come across them in nature. We'll start by putting them on the ground for her to walk up to and inspect. Once that no longer bothers her, we'll pick them up and walk towards her with them, and eventually, with things like plastic bags, give them a wave or a rustle, or let the wind blow them around. It all helps her get used to things she's likely to come across around the farm.

With more touch and interaction, we'll introduce a halter, which is like a collar that goes on her head and is used to lead her or hold her for the vet or farrier. It's important that a horse is trained to have its feet lifted. Just as people trim their toenails, horses need their hooves trimmed regularly, because they won't be worn down naturally in our paddocks the way they were on the rocky ground she used to call home. And just like us, she'll need her teeth checked occasionally (yes, horses have dentists!), so being able to handle her and look in her mouth will be important for her health.

Will she be "broken"?

Breaking a horse often brings up images of cowboys jumping on an unhandled horse and holding on until it tires and accepts the rider, but that's not what breaking is. Breaking to saddle is about training a horse to take a rider, and like everything else, we'll do it at a pace that keeps Poppy comfortable and doesn't scare her. She'll be assessed the whole way, and if riding isn't for her, we'll be happy to keep her as a companion. Just as people love their horses, horses love their people too, and our riding horses love heading out on a trail ride or jumping obstacles. In Flicka's case, it's all about going fast!

So watch this space to follow Poppy's journey and find out, just as we will, where it takes her.